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On a day that featured a flurry of roster moves, the Nationals signed veteran outfielder Reed Johnson to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. Johnson, 38, was cut by the Miami Marlins earlier on Monday. He has 12 years of MLB experience. Johnson spent 2014 with the Marlins, appearing in 113…

Updated at 6:50 p.m. JUPITER, Fla. — Needing outfield help to compensate for a phalanx of spring training injuries and believing they had some excess left-handed depth, the Nationals traded reliever Jerry Blevins to the Mets on Monday for outfielder Matt den Dekker. The deal, announced shortly before the conclusion of the Nationals’ 6-2 exhibition…

With less than two weeks to go until Opening Day, ‘Baseball in the District’ has returned with the first episode of 2015. Tim Murray of ESPN 980 and I did a season preview that included Mark calling in from Viera, Fla. to give an update on the Nats and Marc Carig of NY Newsday to talk…

One day after getting released by the Nationals, 37-year-old veteran reliever Heath Bell has decided to call it a career. The right-hander retired on Tuesday after 11 major league seasons. Bell signed a minor league deal with the Nats in late December and pitched for them in seven spring games. He allowed five runs (4…

Anything can happen over the course of a 162-game MLB season, but as of today, March 18, the Miami Marlins certainly look like the Nationals’ biggest threat to repeating as champions of the NL East. They have the pitching and they have the young talent on offense to contend for the playoffs this year, and…

The Nationals have optioned right-hander A.J. Cole – considered their second-best pitching prospect – to Triple-A Syracuse, ending his outside shot of earning a roster spot this spring. Cole, 23, will return to the Chiefs where he spent the second half of his 2014 season. The former fourth round pick made two appearances this spring,…

With less than three weeks to go until Opening Day at Nationals Park on April 6, the Nats have announced who will throw out the first pitch as part of their pregame ceremonies. New MLB commissioner Rob Manfred will get the honor in his first season on the job. He took office in January, succeeding…

With newfound depth at the position of second base, the Nationals announced on Tuesday the release of former second round pick Jeff Kobernus. The move frees up a spot on their 40-man roster. Kobernus, 26, was drafted by the Nationals in 2009 and debuted in 2013. He appeared in just 28 total MLB games with…

The Nationals play at the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday with a pretty decent pitching matchup on deck. Neither Max Scherzer or Doug Fister will face their former team, instead Stephen Strasburg will take the mound with Justin Verlander as his counterpart. Strasburg has been compared to Verlander by many in the past and both have…

The 2015 MLB season is just weeks away, which means it’s the time of year for fantasy baseball drafts. Don’t play fantasy baseball? Think that fantasy football is way, way better? Well, I certainly beg to differ. If you love baseball, fantasy can be a load of fun. It’s like fantasy football, but with a…

The Nationals made a trio of roster moves on Monday, sending outfielder Brian Goodwin and pitchers Sammy Solis and Felipe Rivero to the minors. Goodwin was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse, while Solis and Rivero were handed to Double-A Harrisburg. Rivero, a 23-year-old lefty, pitched two scoreless innings for the Nationals this spring. In a tweet announcing…

One day after facing the Astros on the road as part of a split-squad matchup, the Nationals will host Houson at Space Coast Stadium in Viera. Jordan Zimmermann will take the mound for the Nats, who will field a lineup featuring Ian Desmond, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman. Harper, in fact, will be just one…

With the Nationals having completed 10 seasons as a franchise since they moved to Washington, D.C. back in 2005, we at CSNwashington.com will roll out a series of articles looking back on the first decade of baseball’s return to the District. We will have periodic installments throughout the season with analysis from Nationals Insider Mark…

The Nationals continue their Grapefruit League schedule today with a road game against the Houston Astros in Kissimmee. Max Scherzer will take the mound for his third start of the exhibition schedule. Scherzer has been good so far with two earned runs in five innings pitched. Against Houston he’ll face much of their expected Opening…

The Nationals made several minor roster moves this weekend, including sending right-hander Taylor Hill and infielder Jeff Kobernus to Triple-A Syracuse. They also optioned pitchers Eric Fornataro, Mitch Lively and Scott McGregor to minor league camp. Hill, 26, made three appearances with the Nationals this spring. He allowed two earned runs, one homer and five hits.…

The Nationals play a pair of split-squad games on Saturday afternoon against the two teams who may give them their biggest challenge in repeating as NL East division champs. At home in Viera they will host the Miami Marlins, while on the road in Port St. Lucie they will go up against the New York…

Denard Span’s surgery this week came as a surprise to many, as it will likely keep him out for the rest of spring training. The Nationals may have to begin the 2015 season without their leadoff hitter, who has been so good at setting the table over the last two seasons. Mark called in to…

With wins in their first three spring games, today the Nationals travel to Tampa to face the New York Yankees. Doug Fister will start for a Nats team missing many regulars in their lineup. Of their expected Opening Day lineup, only Ian Desmond is playing. He will bat third. Today will give the Nats a…

Back in January when the Nationals signed Max Scherzer to a record $210 million contract, it made many of us stop and think about how far they have come as a franchise. Signing the top free agent on the market would have been unfathomable just five years ago. In this latest video from Mark in Viera,…

The Washington Nationals shocked many around the baseball world when they signed Max Scherzer to a record contract back in January. They strengthened a strength and added more firepower to what was already a very good starting rotation. But so far, all of it has been talk and projections on paper. They have yet to…

Mark sat down with Ian Desmond on Tuesday in Viera to get his thoughts on rejoining the Nationals after an offseason rife with trade rumors. The three-time Silver Slugger is entering the final year of his contract with the Nats and his future beyond 2015 is unclear. Desmond, though, is ready to go all in…

Last week we caught up with Ryan Zimmerman in a video from Viera, but in this clip Mark takes a bit of a deeper dive into Zim’s transition to first base. He has reaction from Zimmerman himself, along with infield teammates Anthony Rendon and Ian Desmond, who have been working with the Face of the…

In this latest video from Nationals’ spring training in Viera, Mark sits down with Stephen Strasburg to talk about the addition of Max Scherzer and look ahead to the 2015 season. Strasburg reflects on his career so far, now that he’s entering his sixth MLB season. He also comments on the rise of the Nats…

The transformation the Washington Nationals have undergone over the last few years is nothing short of remarkable. After losing more than 100 games in 2008 and 2009, they have become a perennial playoff contender with two NL East division titles in the last three seasons. Few can speak to the difference between now and then…

Bryce Harper is entering his fourth season in the major leagues and at 22 has already accomplished much for his age. But with the flashes of brilliance he has shown so far in his career, it seems only a matter of time before he puts it all together. In this report from Viera, Mark looks at…